William Billy Costello
Billy Costello ---- William "Billy" Costello was an American voice actor, and was the original voice of Popeye the Sailorman. Costello worked with the Fleischer Studios as the voice of Gus the Gorilla on the Betty Boop radio show, the Fleischers felt his raspy voice would work for the new Popeye character they were planning. He was selected for the part because of his ability to imitate various vocal moods of Popeye as visioned by the creator. Costello was cast as Popeye in 1933 and appeared in 25 shorts until he was fired by the Fleischers, allegedly over bad behavior, his Popeye role later taken over by Jack Mercer. Quotes *Billy Costello: "I yam what I yam and thas all I yam." Character Role(s) Post Scripts (1932) Billy Costello who is Ferdinand Frog on the Betty Boop program is a recruit to radio from vaudeville. It's Popeye (1934) Voice of that sailor man is amazing. A comparatively short, but decidedly husky person provides the voice of Popeye, the Sailor, in those sound cartoons, which adapted from The Courier-Express seven day comic strip and page, are getting a big play around the country. As a matter of fact, there's a demand for them equal to if not surpassing that for any similar screen featurette. Patrons of the Buffalo hear this truly amazing voice in the course of the David Bines revue. It's owned by Billy Costello, and he makes it do the deep rough bass one would expect Popeye to have, as well as a good baritone for straight singing, and a yodel that Swiss mountaineers-if they still do it might envy. Like his prototype of the comic strip, the voice of Popeye likes spinach. He likes it cold, with vinegar. Whether it adds to his strength and virility as it does to Popeye's is something to study. It is in a fact that Costello is strong as they come. Mae Questel, who's the Betty Boop of the Max Fleischer cartoons, is also the voice of Olive Oyl for Popeye's gyrations on the sound screen. Approximately 300 persons participate in the creation of a Popeye comic for the films, most of them artists, some of them musician, some synchronizers. Costello is a musician, too. He played in several orchestras, particularly as a xylophone soloist, before he found his niche, in the creation of screen cartoons. And the personal appearances have been surprisingly successful, he said. To boys and girls, particularly the former, he's an attraction that has pulled thousands into theaters. Meanwhile Popeye, who was something of a smash hit for comic pages, is proving himself a film personality of force and power. Current Variety (1935) Billy Costello appears in a characterization of Popeye, the Sailor, a creation of the comic papers, but a green spotlight hides the characterzation and the closest the audience comes to getting a good look at Popeye is when the lights go up and then Costello has shorn his facial makeup, if he uses any. He displays a buzz saw voice in a couple of selections and shifts it to the yodeling range. The act finds favor. Breach of Contract (1935) The breach of contract case brought by the Kallet Theaters, Inc., against Billy Costello, known as Popeye the Sailor, was announced as off the calendar, indicating the action had been adjusted. Stolen Thunder (1935) Billy Costello, who is probably the headliner, would have been more interesting if another had not stolen his thunder last week. Mr. Costello, reported to be the voice behind "Popeye," the hero of many of a film cartoon, shows you how he talks as Popeye but this is the same thing that was done last week by another. Mr. Costello, however, adds some songs to the accompaniment of his own ukulele playing. Death *Costello died in San Jose, California on October 1971, he was buried in Mariposa, California. Trivia *Costello's 1931 novelty recording of "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now" was used for ''Betty Boop's M.D ''in 1932. See Also *Ferdinand Frog (Betty Boop Broadcasts) *Jack Mercer *Billy Murray Links *Billy Costello at Find A Grave ---- Category:People